When Margo Grant lost her parents, Bill and Donna Christensen, in an auto accident nine years ago, she couldn’t
find an easy outlet for her grief. Born and raised in Lethbridge, Grant moved to Surrey, B.C. years ago (her twin sister, Jeanette McKnight, lives in Chilliwack); her parents were on their way to the West Coast for Christmas when the accident occurred.
She remembered her father, Lethbridge College’s Bookstore manager from 1983 to his retirement in 1992, coming home with stories about students in less fortunate financial situations who needed help paying their tuition.
“Dad used to come home from work and tell me about the students who would apply to the bookstore for work to pay for their education,” says Grant, then in high school and now a mother herself. “He told me he had to turn them down because they were over qualified, but he felt badly he couldn’t help them.”
Unbeknownst to Grant and her sister, a former co-worker of her father, Phyllis Bell, had set up a scholarship in her parents’ memory. It took her two years to discover the Bill and Donna Christensen Memorial Scholarship, awarded for the first time in 2003.
Bell, who retired from the college’s finance department in 2002, started the fund with $500, matched by the government.
“It was our way of remembering Bill and Donna,” says Bell, who still lives in Lethbridge. “The scholarship seemed appropriate; Bill loved kids.”
Bookstore manager Kathy Danielson also worked with Christensen, who started at the college in purchasing in the 1970s.
“He was an advocate for lifelong learning,” says Danielson. “He was a really good guy. “I remember one year, due to renovations, we had to move the bookstore to a mechanics bay in the trades area. I can’t remember which bay, but it was an interesting summer.”
So moved was Grant to learn of the honour, she took on the job of ensuring the scholarship would be funded in following years. “When I found out Dad’s friends cared enough about him to do this, I took it on as a labour of love. When our parents died, Jeanette and I didn’t know what to do with our grief. The scholarship gave us something by which to honour them.”
By canvassing family and friends, Grant managed to keep the scholarship alive, but it was a struggle until she met Laura Carlson, Lethbridge College’s manager of development, who advised her of the college’s matching grant program. For every dollar Grant is able to put into the fund, the college chips in a dollar. The fund has grown to $30,000.
“It was a way to keep the fund going,” says Grant. “I know Dad would be honoured to know money in his name was going to help students in financial need because he always believed in the importance of education.”
Carlson says the matching grant comes through the province’s Access to the Future Fund with all money being placed into an endowment.
Grant has several friends who have made a decision to return to school, for many a financial challenge.
“The fact they work, raise children and pay bills, it’s a big step,” she says. “They’ve made a commitment and it’s a huge chore to find the money. That’s a huge reason for keeping the fund alive. We’re overjoyed with the steps Phyllis took to set up the scholarship.”
Grant still has strong ties to Lethbridge with several aunts and uncles, her father’s family, in the community. She returns to the city every March with daughter Morgan, who competes in the annual Moonlight Run.
Carlson says support provided through such awards plays an important role for many learners.
“Awards, like the one established to honour Bill and Donna Christensen, can make a huge difference in a student’s life. Costs to acquire a post-secondary education continue to rise and are not impacted by tuition fees alone. Increases in gas prices and rental accommodations can make a difference in the decision to attend college. Awards, scholarships and bursaries help make it a little easier to reach the decision to enroll,” she says.
Anyone interested in contributing to the Bill and Donna Christensen Memorial Award, or to other awards or scholarships, can contact Laura Carlson at 403-329-7204, or e-mail [email protected].
